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Hats off to you, Tiago

I was, certainly, and the spectacle promised more than materialized, marking Meydan’s official opening on the world stage.

I remain slightly baffled by the results on the track though. Out of eight races, only one went the way of the favourite – Musir providing Mike De Kock with a fourth win in the UAE Derby. Even the ‘banker’ of the day, No Risk Al Maury in the Kahayla Classic, was forced to settle for second, proving once again that there is no such thing as a sure thing in this fantastic sport.

It was said many times before the big day that the first $10million World Cup would be the most open renewal of the race ever, and so it proved. With three in line approaching the finish it also provided the closest battle that the race has seen.

Hats off to anyone who predicted it would be these three involved though! With five Carnival wins this season between them, Gloria de Campeao, Lizard’s Desire and Allybar were certainly not forlorn hopes, but the presence of so many other good horses made them look unlikely winners. Nevertheless, you have to be on top when it matters and Tiago Pereira rode a beautifully-judged race from the front.

I don’t buy excuses that lack of pace in the race thwarted the chances of some of the others. After all, Kevin Shea was able to weave a path through from the rear of the field on Lizard’s Desire and get to within a nostril of the winner.

If ‘Gloria’s’ win was something of a surprise then what of Al Shemali’s 40-1 shock in the Duty Free? I liked this horse very much when he was a three year old and deemed good enough to contest an Irish Derby by his then trainer Sir Michael Stoute, but I certainly didn’t think him capable of winning a highly competitive Group I, leaving nine top level performers trailing in his wake. Congratulations to trainer Al Rashid Al Raihe, who can now celebrate not only a first Championship but also by far the biggest success of his training career.

The one to take out of the race for me, however, is second home Bankable, who will now be freshened up ahead of a trip to the Singapore Cup in May. Third in that race last year, he is a better horse this time around and will be hard to beat.

The great thing about racing is that it never really stops and I have been shaken out of my usual post-World Cup gloom by a gripping weekend of Classic trials in the States. Current Kentucky Derby favourite Eskendereya puts his credentials on the line in the Group I Wood Memorial at Aqueduct this weekend, going up against British pretender Awesome Act. In California, the ultra-tough Lookin At Lucky bids for a second win of 2010 in the Santa Anita Derby and should be hard to peg back.